Trial of the Alchemist

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

A mind-bending gaslamp mystery. ThinkInceptionmeetsThe Night Circus.

Aurora’s greatest entrepreneur has been murdered, and only the truth will save Alchemist Ortez from the gallows.

Facing a heated courtroom of strangers, he must now recall the events that brought him here as a fellow alchemist probes his memory. Such is the job of alchemists: administering elixirs in order to see into the minds of men. Their dreams. Their nightmares. Their secrets.

But while everyone believes him guilty, Alchemist Ortez knows what they do not.

He was hired by the victim for a job unlike any they could imagine. Nor would they ever guess what other mysteries lie buried beneath the mountain metropolis of Aurora, a cave-enclosed city where countless gas lamps illuminate the endless night.

This story is now a stub, but you can read my new Royal Road series,Sailor's Rise.

If you would like to keep readingTrial of the Alchemist, you can do so onAudible(Canadian link) orKindle(including Kindle Unlimited). Thank you!

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2022
Author: Dremen

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 503
Views: 38,250

Chapters(10 total)

What readers say about Trial of the Alchemist

“I found myself binge reading this incredibly well written mystery. The author has great skill in developing his characters, and paints intricate verbal pictures of a time and place like no other. I find myself recreating these skillfully written places in m…”
ldnickerRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Got here by a recommendation from PirateAba, writer of The Wandering Inn. Really, I was not disappointed. Style: This story flows so well while you read that even parts that should be boring just aren't boring at all. Story: I haven't finished reading yet,…”
ArtcpRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

ldnickerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I found myself binge reading this incredibly well written mystery. The author has great skill in developing his characters, and paints intricate verbal pictures of a time and place like no other. I find myself recreating these skillfully written places in my mind. Indeed each chapter is so well constructed that the reader is able to see each scene in great detail as they are so elegantly written. I simply cannot put it down and truly hope to see a sequel as I shall miss this delicious read when it is done.
The story is imaginative and original, with a style unlike any I have previously encountered. The story line is highly engaging, weaving back and forth through time, but never losing its audience. In fact it draws them further in. Grammar is elegant and the characters are all interesting and multidimensional. The story of the Alchemist is a story inside a story. The character is both strong and vulnerable and the notion of wiping one’s mind clean in order to learn this work is both troubling and fascinating at the same time. The delicacy and description of the potions and effect they have on both the Alchemist and his subjects is a remarkable and a bit scary concept. Overall style, story, grammar and character development are very advanced and most engaging.
A solid 5 Star read that will delight anyone who has the good fortune to dive into this piece of mystery fiction.
ArtcpRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Got here by a recommendation from PirateAba, writer of The Wandering Inn. Really, I was not disappointed.
Style:
This story flows so well while you read that even parts that should be boring just aren't boring at all.
Story:
I haven't finished reading yet, but I feel it's a very compelling story with more than one plot unfolding into possibly a single large one. I really like how some conflicts are presented in a way you can understand the opinions that lead to the conflicts without really getting the impression that one side is absolutely wrong. So often life has no easy choices for what is right or wrong and so often stories fail to present that reality.
Grammar:
I haven't found any points of complaint about the grammar.
Character:
I've seen another review that said the characters are a bit 1-dimensional, but I'm not sure I agree. As most of the story is told from the perspective of the main character, perhaps that could easily be excused, if true, as a characteristic of this alchemist. Nevertheless, I feel that what really happens is that, as in real life, we only get a superficial knowledge about many characters unless we spend a really long time with them. Such superficial knowledge, I imagine, is what gives this impression of shallowness to a lot of the characters. I don't see this as a downside in this story, as we can progress through the plot in a faster pace than if we stopped to get to know each character.
Confused Pigeon NoisesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Only having recently discovered this story, I binged all thirty-ish chapters in a night. This is a fantastic story, a different taste from usual RR stories as it takes place in a industrial revolution in a fantasy world, where alchemy bridges the mind of man, animal, and memory. A unique story with great characters and world building.
enaira_butcherRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Eight chapters in (and a few of the Trial chapters) and I'm hooked.
The author has really beautiful prose; it's polished, with a nice attention to detail. You can really tell they enjoy the craft of writing, and I haven't seen any grammar issues.
I'm really enjoying the mystery so far and love the the way new characters are introduced. None of them feel flat; they're all living and breathing and unique, even in the shorter interactions. So far it seems like there's lot of nuance to how Ortez interacts with different people - like Mr. Day (the bad guy?), Audra (the love interest?), Bien (the confidante?), and Cassy (not sure if she'll figure much?). Ortez has a consistent voice, but he's not one-note.
My favourite chapter so far has been chapter five with the Moonlight Inn and Belle. The music and enchantment of the inn reminds me of Name of the Wind's Denna with the style, the prose, the natural-feeling witty dialogue.
The alchemy magic system is subtle but philosophical. It's used for law and for psychoalchemy, which is sort of like psychology. Some other uses too, which makes it feel really integrated into society. Ultimately, as readers, you get to see in people's heads and the wild way that conciousness flows. I hope there are more chapters where we get to see the mindscapes of characters.
Can't wait to keep reading and to see where this underground city takes us.
farcar4Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
While definetly not your average progression fantasy story, and more in line with steampunk mystery, this story has wonderful character, a world with just enough details to believe in it and leave you with a desire for more, and a well plotted, and an astonishingly well written story. If you have ever read a dan brown type of mystery novel book, this story could well be compared with them, with the only exception that this story is original in a way that those cut and paste stories will never be.
10/10
A Reader For FunRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A very unique and thought-provoking piece of writing. The characters were really fleshed out, the author did a good job protraying each character's thoughts and goals. The interactions between the main casts were very enjoyable and flows smoothly. The grammer was without a doubt exquisite. The writing style is appropriate and works as intended. Moreover, the plot was simlpy exciting with ample twists, it consistently keeps me entertained and wanting to read the next chapters. Overall, it is an amazing work by the author.
Hoping to read more of your work!
Galia47Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Fantastic read, so glad I stumbled upon this story. Looking forward to continuing this incredibly intriguing tale. Now I have to trick myself into forgetting it exists until there are more chapters available, curse of being a fast reader.
Different from most stories I've encountered, which makes it absolutely delicious. Not what was expected, refreshing, to say the least.
Wonderfully written ❤️
Kevin1024Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This world reminds me of other steampunk stories but people are incredibly relatable. As the revelations progressively unfurl with tantalizing slowness, each character slowly comes into focus., yet I'm still guessing about the shape of the plot! One of the main characters drives the storyline from offscreen! There are so many techniques layered into this mystery!
Some serials are long-winded but not this one. It's succient yet emotionally powerful! What a great combination.
Megumi-chanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Dremen is giving is a marvelous story and I am enjoying watching it unfold. The writing is vivid and the characters are slowly becoming richer as we dive in to them.
This story does what I enjoy most about science fiction/fantasy: it allows us to explore a topic relevant to us today without the rules placed on us by our own history and culture.
Thank you, Dremen, for providing a fresh breath of air. I am enjoying the style, story and characters and i appreciate the excellent grammar.
RoyalEclipseRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Tldr: Its good. The pacing is nice, the prose flows well and the story is intriguing with some lovely twists.
First of all the grammar is immaculate and the pacing well executed, the story did not feel rushed and neither did it crawl along for chapters on end. Those are the technical details, now the more subjective points.
Simply put the story is of a higher quality than what I've come to expect from royal road, dare I say professional even. The mc is likeable and realistically written, the "magic system", in this case, mostly alchemy, is thought out and suitably soft, lending itself to the overall mystery vibr quite nicely.
The rest of the characters are likewise developed, thought out, and although they perhaps did not get as much "screen time" as I would like, that is mostly due to the overall length of the novel and thus understandable. In fact I would say it speaks volumes about the quality of the book, when the biggest negative I can find is that it is too short and left me wanting more.
The ending is alltogether satisfying and the mysteries twist and convolute, slowly teasing apart only to be unraveled in a spectacular fashion by the end.
The book is well paced, suitably mysterious and just a blast all around.